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Gratitude: Here’s Where You’re Getting it Wrong, and How to Tap In To Its True Power to Improve Your Life

November 27, 2014

The most powerful emotion you can choose, I believe, on a daily basis, is gratitude.

You’ve heard it said of course –

“Choose 3 things to be grateful for each morning”

“Write a grateful list before bed”

“Keep a gratitude journal and write in it throughout the day as you notice things to give thanks for”

You’ve also heard all of the ‘cliche’ talk about how we all can find things to be grateful for (and we can and certainly should!).

But what you might not know, perhaps, is that gratitude is one of the only personal development ‘techniques’ that is scientifically proven to improve your life. Research by numerous scientists and happiness experts has shown that it is one of the MOST reliable methods to raise happiness and life satisfaction, that it not only reduces feelings of anxiety and overwhelm but even helps us to sleep better and be more healthy.

If you’ve ever found yourself wishing you had a wonder drug to make your whole life better, this is kind of it!

But here’s where you might be getting it wrong –

Today, for example, is Thanksgiving in the US. I’m here at the moment (the next 3 months of our location free life is here; fun!) so gratitude is all around. It’s enforced gratitude! Which is nice 🙂 but also, it’s a good reminder-

How often do you take the time to be grateful when there’s no reason to be?

Or, the tougher question –

How often do you take the time to be grateful when things are NOT working, even despite your best efforts?

Do you want to know how to GUARANTEE a particular technique works for you?

It’s actually really easy …

JUST DO IT ALL THE TIME!

Meaning, consistently.

Meaning, daily.

NOT just when you feel like it.

NOT just when you know how.

NOT just when somebody reminds you.

NOT just when you ‘have time’.

Imagine if you treated your health & fitness as something to do only when you read a reminder in Forbes, or when it was National Fitness Day (if that’s a thing!) or when you went to a rev-you-up seminar, or because it was Sunday and ‘you day’! I think the results would speak for themselves … and perhaps they do … but you get my point 🙂

The life that you’re living right now is the one you’ve chosen. If you focus on good, and what you have to be thankful for, you’ll get more of that good stuff! And if you don’t – well, you won’t.

So many women entrepreneurs who I speak with and help as clients are working their BUTTS off to create the business and life success they desire, and whilst they’re theoretically AWARE of the need to do the internal work – the journaling, the meditation, the gratitude, the visioning – it’s a ‘Sunday’ thing. Or it’s a ‘when I have time thing’. Or it’s a ‘if I’m in the mood / in a seminar / speaking with my coach’ sort of thing.

Not good enough sisters.

And this approach will NOT work for you.

And when I say it won’t work? I mean the FLOW ON effects that the internal work is there for in the first place won’t work at ALL. In fact, it’s likely that ‘occasional’ inner work will actually make you more frustrated than none at all, as you’ll have that glimpse into how life COULD be but then you go right back to choosing for it to remain the way it IS!

Today, as so many other writers and bloggers will be doing, I want to remind you to be grateful. It’s nice to join with others all around Facebook (!) and the world and take the time to give thanks.

But the real challenge I have for you is not to give thanks because it’s this day, not to make a quick ‘3 in the morning’ or ‘5 at night’ habit when you remember but instead to BECOME a woman (or man) of gratitude.

To EMBODY that emotion.

To BE thankful, for all that you have NOW chosen.

And to continue, of course, to gratefully choose where you go from here.

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